SHAKA Movement to add more signatures

May 27, 2014

The SHAKA Movement is set to submit thousands more signatures this afternoon in its effort to get a citizens' initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot for a moratorium on genetically modified organisms in Maui County, according to an announcement.

Five leading members of the group who crafted and filed the initiative will turn in final supplemental signatures at 1 p.m. today at the Kalana O Maui building. The submittal will give the movement a total of 18,000 signatures, the announcement said. The group needs at least 8,500 signatures from registered voters to get the initiative on the ballot. As of last week, the movement was about 3,700 signatures short of the needed amount.

About half of the submitted signatures, so far, have been deemed invalid by the Maui County Clerk's Office. Problems have included duplicate signatures, insufficient or incorrect information and illegible handwriting. Some people were not registered to vote in Maui County.

SHAKA stands for "Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for Keiki and the Aina."

The announcement said Jeffery Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology would speak at today's event. Smith also is scheduled to speak during "An Evening of GMO Truth and Facts," a free event, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's McCoy Studio.